CONGO SIASAA Series of Scandals Embroil Security Forces in the CongoThere have been several scandals in the Congo over the past month that have gone more or less unreported by the foreign press but that have had a large impact domestically, all involving abuses by the security forces. First the Armand Tungulu affair. Tungulu was a Congolese who had been living in Belgium for many years. He returned home and was arrested on September 29 for throwing rocks at a presidential motorcade. On October 2, the government announced his death, saying he had committed suicide with a pillow in his jail cell – this provoked outrage, as there was little motive for a suicide and because Congolese prisons are not known for their pillows. [Lire la suite, http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/2010/11/series-of-scandals-embroil-security.html]

Polling in the CongoWe are still a long way away from elections in the Congo (November 2011 is the chimerical date), but, as any Congo Siasa enthusiast will know, there are already a bunch of contenders. See here for two short Jeune Afrique interviews with Vital Kamerhe and Etienne Tshisekedi from last month – both are good speakers, Kamerhe more so than Tshisekedi, who looks a bit tired, but who also has a much longer track record of a serious political opponent, ready to sacrifice a lot. Kamerhe is an unknown in that regard – is he launching an opposition movement « pour aller jusqu’au bout, » or is this a negotiation tactic with Kabila? [Lire la suite, http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/2010/11/polling-in-congo.html]

CNNHundreds of women, children raped in DRC conflictThe long-running conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed hundreds of sexual violence victims in the past two months as women and girls continue to be prime targets of retaliation between rival militias along the country’s porous borders, according to aid agencies. [Lire la suite, http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/06/hundreds-of-women-children-raped-in-drc-conflict/]